According to Tab Hunter's autobiography, studio executives were so displeased by Natalie Wood's "Mexican" accent that they even considered dubbing in another actress's voice.
Louis L'Amour said he wrote the novel with Gary Cooper and Katy Jurado in mind. Jurado tried to secure the rights to the novel, but, spurred by its success with turning L'Amour's story "The Gift of Cochise" into the John Wayne film Hondo (1953), Warner Bros. went after the rights.
John Wayne was announced as a possible star of the film.